A whole city 'knocked out'

Rev. John Radetski sat in the church’s offices downstairs as the storm “hit quickly” in mid-afternoon. While he knew it was a strong storm, he didn’t realize the full impact it would have. Soon, the power shut off, replaced by emergency lights. He moved upstairs, watching the wind and listened to the sirens.

The tree outside of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Waupun following strong storms on Aug. 28.(Photo: Courtesy of Heidi M. Antoni)

Once the storm let up, he stepped outside to see a line of cars backed up on Main Street, leading him to think that the church had been damaged. Instead, a tree had split, with one half going toward the church, and the other into the lane closest to the sidewalk.

This was not the only tree downed in Waupun.

Aside from the tree, however, the church was spared any major damage.

After the storm had passed, Radetski headed to his other parish, Annunciation, in Fox Lake. On his way home, he drove toward U.S. 151, passing through a darkened Waupun — the only glow coming from the correctional institution.

The tree that fell at St. Joseph's Catholic Church on Main Street in Waupun Aug. 28.(Photo: Courtesy of Heidi M. Antoni)

“It looked like the whole city was knocked out,” he said.

On Wednesday, with power restored, Radetski and other church staff assessed the damage and tried to clean up as much as they could. The tree was cut down into segments, before being placed into a shredder. Later in the morning, the staff went to check the cemetery located on Fond du Lac County M, where four trees had fallen, as well as a cemetery and chapel in Springvale, east of Brandon.

“We were very fortunate and we thank God for that,” he said.

No power in Alto takes woman to Brandon

As the storm bore down on Alto, Janice Huizenga, a woman in her mid-80s, didn’t make her way down into her home’s basement, but went into the bathroom instead. Shutting the doors, she held onto to the railings of the handicap-bathroom she had installed for her husband, and waited for the winds and rains to calm, only peeking out a few times to check conditions.

On her final journey out, she saw wires pulled off the side of the home and trees down with them. The wind pushed down electrical poles. The power was gone.

Almost right away, help in the form of the emergency officials arrived at her door to see if she was OK, to which she said “yes.” Over the next few hours, they returned, and she asked when they would have electricity again. As someone who requires oxygen and uses a CPAP machine, Huizenga was on the list to be one of the first people to have electricity returned, but the officials said it would not come that night. Without it, her Life Line medical alert could not be used as well.

Officials offered to take her to the Red Cross emergency operations center that had been opened at Brandon Elementary School, 200 W. Bowen St. more than five miles away to offer shelter. To reach her, a six-wheeler from the Alto Fire Department came through the soy bean field behind her house and took her to a bus. With no people joining her, she arrived in Brandon at around 10 p.m.

The emergency operations center opened an hour after it was requested by the county, said its manager, Tom Powell, with the Red Cross trailer arriving in two hours.The responding individuals are part of team mobilized to help in emergency situations around the county, such as fires, or in this case, natural disaster.

Offering snacks, meals, or a place to stay, the team is assisting those affected, including Huizenga, who this morning enjoyed breakfast with a volunteer.

At this time, Powell is not sure how long the site will need to stay open. However, monetary donations are being accepted online at myredcross.com, over phone at 1-800-435-7669 , or by texting DONATE to 90999, which will allow the Red Cross to purchase the items needed at the time, he said, as well as volunteers. Those in need of assistance can contact the Oshkosh Red Cross at 920-231-3590.

Back in Alto, Huizenga and others who left will not be able to return until roads are open, Town of Alto Chairperson Duane Bille said, and as of Wednesday, that timeline is uncertain. Alliant Energy is currently working “to clear wires and down poles,” before tree removal, and the re-opening of the town, can begin, he said. With the only power available at Saputo Cheese, those who remain in Alto are “hunkering down” and cleaning up, he saids.

“I know there’s a lot of people who want to get in here to help clean up, but at this time, it’s not possible,” he said Wednesday. “I’m sure (when the work is finished) word will spread fast.”

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A tornado devastated the Wetzel family farm, located along Hemp Road in Brandon, on Aug. 28, 2018.(Photo: Sarah Razner/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

A farm completely destroyed

A few miles away on Brandon’s Hemp Road, the farm of Richard Wetzel, and his son, Eric, owned was torn apart in minutes as a tornado wreaked havoc.

Richard Wetzel lives in Waupun, two miles away from Pebble Knolls Dairy LLC, and it was from there he heard the sirens blare. As the trees moved in different directions, he headed toward the basement, where he remained from 10 minutes.

Soon, his phone rang with a call from his daughter-in-law, telling him to come over and that the farm was “a mess.”

From his son, he heard, “you’re not going to believe what you see, Dad, so be prepared.”

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Of the over 600 cows at Pebble Knolls Dairy LLC in Brandon, five died and 25 injured.(Photo: Sarah Razner/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

Even with those words, he couldn’t anticipate the scope of the damage. A dairy farm with over 600 cows, parts of the infrastructure were tossed hundreds of feet down the highway, into power lines.

The buildings blew apart in a domino effect, he said, with the last one, bearing the farm's sign, mostly spared. Trees fell around the surrounding homes, as wind, too, left damage. Five cows were killed, with another 25 injured; however, no one physically was hurt.

Within minutes, the Wetzels’ neighbors rallied around them. Five veterinarians assessed the animals and those who survived were moved to 10 different farms as far as Waterloo, he said. Rosendale Dairy took about 300 animals. Cleanup began, with employees and other helpers dragging pieces of debris down the road, moving through the mud and puddles created by the 10.5 inches of rain which fell there since Sunday, he said.

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The damage left by an EF1 tornado on the Pebble Knolls Diary LLC in Brandon.(Photo: Sarah Razner/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

“It’s been overwhelming," he said. "It’s what a farming community — or community — does when there’s a disaster, try to help."

It is this that remains a bright spot, against what is otherwise a stormy sky.

On Wednesday, Wetzel was waiting for the power to be restored as they begin to rebuild, he said. With the help of his insurance and adjuster, the damage will be assessed. Soon, he hopes to find a place to bring the cows together in one place until they can be brought back to the farm. Anyone willing to help can call Wetzel at 920-960-3366.

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Debris from the Wetzel farm stretched down Hemp Road, with employees and other helpers assisting in moving them back to one central area.(Photo: Sarah Razner/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

“It happened so fast, but it’s not going to clean up that way,” he said. “We’re just picking up the pieces and put the puzzle back together and clean it up … The only option we have really is start building.”